Gravity
by SomeSurprise
Summary: Michael Westen helps people and then he disappears from their lives. That's the only way he knows how to do his job...Until one seemingly simple case changes his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This idea has been floating around in my head for a while now, and I finally got around to writing it. If people enjoy this chapter, I will keep writing…so here we go!

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Looking back on that case now, I realize it changed my life. She changed my life, and this is how it all started…

He caught me just as I was leaving the loft, "Are you Michael Westen?" He asked in a panicked voice. I took in his receding hair line, sweaty clothes, and desperate face. I sighed. How do these people always find me? I prepared to tell him off, but at my hesitation, he added, "You are, aren't you? Well I…I heard you help people out with problems they don't want to go to the police with, is that right?"

I sighed, "Look, I don't know who told you that but – "

He cut me off and grabbed my arm in a surprisingly firm grip. I looked at his hand on my arm and then back at him, hoping to convey that I wanted him to back the hell off. He let go of me and took a step back. "I just…I need your help. Please. I have a serious problem here! Yes or no, because I really don't have time to waste."

I sighed again and looked at him. The least I could do was hear him out, he sounded desperate. "It depends on your problem, what's your name?" I asked, starting with the basics.

"It's Frank, Frank Samuels," He stuttered.

I took a deep breath, preparing for the story, "Ok Frank, what's the problem?"

He sat down on the steps and wiped his forehead before he started, "It's my daughter Katie. She ran away from her mom's house about a week ago, but I haven't been able to find her. I'm divorced and Katie lives with her mom and her…stepdad." I sat down next to Frank, I sensed where this story was going, "I had no idea, but her stepdad Larry was abusive. She didn't tell anyone until the day she ran away. She called me from a pay phone, and I tried to persuade her to come to me but she said it wasn't safe. Larry is a cop; there is no way the police department would side with a seventeen year old girl against one of their own. Please, she's just a kid, and I don't know where she is. She could be hurt out there. Just help me find her and I'll go hide somewhere with her, I'll give you anything." He finished, stumbling over the last words.

Frank stared at me with a desperate look while I considered his situation. This is just the sort of job I am an absolute sucker for. How could I possibly refuse? This was a simple case of find the girl, deliver her home safely, and move on. I had done this many times before, and I could do it again for this man and his daughter. I gave Frank a reassuring smile and said, "I'll see what I can do."

After Frank's repeated thank yous, I finally got him to tell me some useful information. Frank gave me a picture of Katie, saying that it was a little dated, but was all he had. He said the last call she made to him was from a pay phone in Little Havana, but he had failed to find her in the busy neighborhood. I told him I would call him when I found her, and got to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Michael's "narration" is in _italics_.

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_When you're searching for someone, knowing who to talk to is vital, especially in a crowded place like Little Havana. Chances are, random people walking on the street won't know anything, but the store owners and vendors who watch the streets all day are the people to talk to. You might have to fork over a few bucks for information, but in the end it will be worth it._

After a full day of speaking Spanish to various store owners and vendors, and flashing Katie's picture to just about the whole Cuban population in Miami, I was finally pointed in the right direction. It was well after midday by the time I grudgingly paid five dollars to a toothless old woman who told me she had seen a lone white teenage girl, matching Katie's description, walk past her ice cream cart no more than fifteen minutes ago. There was a chance it wasn't Katie, but it was the only lead I had.

I walked in the direction the old woman pointed me in, and stopped at an intersection. I scanned the crowd for any sign of Katie, and that's when I spotted her. There was no doubt that it was the girl in the picture. Even in the fading sunlight she stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd with her thin frame, blond hair, and green eyes. It couldn't get any easier than this.

But then we made eye contact for a split second…and she took off. I should have known this job wasn't going to be easy, they never are. I just watched her weave in and out of the vendor's carts for a few seconds before I took off after her.

_Little Havana is a great place for a chase like this one because it doesn't raise suspicion. The near constant crowd of people makes it easy to go unnoticed…even when you are sprinting full out. When you are chasing someone down, the important thing is to watch both the person you are trying to catch and your surroundings. You won't be able to catch anyone if you are crashing face first into a popcorn cart._

Although it wasn't easy, within a few minutes I was gaining on her. She made a sharp turn into an ally and as soon as I was about three feet behind her, I made the lunge. As I dove, I wrapped my arms around her waist then twisted us around so I landed on my back on the pavement with her on my chest. It could have gone better, but besides having the wind knocked out of her and an elbow slam to the cement she was relatively unharmed. She was completely still on my chest for a few seconds and I began to worry that I had knocked her out, but then she started struggling. I tightened my grip around her waist and said, "Stop, Katie! Your dad, Frank, sent me. You're safe now." I thought my words would calm her down immediately, but she struggled even harder. What a puzzling reaction.

I decided to sort everything out when we weren't laying on cement that someone had probably pissed on the night before, so I stood up, bringing Katie with me. Her fist flew at my face as soon as she was on her feet so I quickly caught it and twisted her hands behind her back to hold onto her wrists. "Stop!" I exclaimed, exasperated. Her struggling was really starting to wear down my patience. What was this kid's problem? After a few minutes of walking, Katie stopped trying to throw herself out of my grasp, and I felt her arms go slack in my grip. I kept her wrists behind her back just to be safe, but it was definitely easier to walk without her struggling.

When we got to the Charger, I led Katie to the front seat. "You can sit up here if you stop trying to attack me, ok?" It was hard to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

Katie stared at me, and I saw that she was crying. I immediately checked her for damage. Her elbow looked swollen and bloody, maybe that was her problem. I really hoped it was because I was definitely not prepared to deal with a crying teenager. I was still frustrated and slightly winded from our scuffle, so I had to force myself to be calm as I said, "What is it? Are you hurt?"

She continued to stare at me for a few seconds then said in a shaky voice, "Please, I'm begging you…Don't take me back to him. I don't know what he told you, but Frank, my father, is a bad man. He's not who he pretends to be." She sniffled as we stared at each other.

I studied her face for a whole minute, judging what she said. Everything about her made me believe that she couldn't go back to Frank, her expression, the tears running down her cheeks, her voice. After a minute, I said gently, "I'll take you somewhere safe where we can talk." She nodded with a relieved expression and wiped her cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

I glanced at her a couple times throughout the trip, but all she did was stare out the window with a blank expression on her face. It was a long, silent car ride and it was completely dark outside by the time we pulled up next to the staircase leading up to the loft. Katie finally snapped out of her trance and looked around. "It's not much, but I can keep you safe here," I said, trying to make her feel more comfortable with me. After our scuffle in Little Havana, it was going to be hard to earn her trust. She only nodded, not a very good response, but at least it was something.

I led Katie up the stairs and into the apartment. I motioned to one of the two chairs in the sparsely furnished space and she sat down. I got her a glass of water then sat in the chair across from her. She didn't look like she was going to start the conversation so I said, "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself back there, but my name is Michael Westen. Your father contacted me for help finding you…" I paused awkwardly, "Why can't you go back to your dad, Katie?" I cut right to the main question, not wanting to waste time.

Katie just stared at the glass of water cupped in her hands for a few seconds, then sighed, "What exactly did he tell you?"

"Well, he said you ran away from an abusive step-father and he wanted me to find you before you got hurt. Is any of that true?"

She shook her head, "Not in the slightest. I ran away from _him_. Escaped is probably more accurate." Katie paused for a few more seconds. I felt like I had swallowed an ice cube. I didn't like where I thought her story was going but I nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I have never been close with my father. I can't even remember a time when he told me he loved me, or acted like he cared about me. My mother left him when I was thirteen, leaving me behind. He left me by myself a lot, always saying he had to work or not saying anything at all before leaving. Sometimes he wouldn't come home for a few days. His work was always mysterious. I knew not to ask what he did, but something told me it wasn't an honest job."

She paused again and took a deep breath, "Things really went to hell about a week ago, when I found out that he _really_ doesn't have an honest job. One day I came home early from school and I walked in on my father. Normally he doesn't have a single hair out of place, but he looked all disheveled…and he had blood all over his shirt. I was so shocked that I couldn't move, although now I wish I would have just run away right then and there. It was obvious that my father didn't expect me to walk in on him in that state because he ran over to me and grabbed me, then slammed the front door and locked it. I was terrified of him for the first time in my life. He got right in my face and screamed that I could never talk about what I saw. I was absolutely stunned. I couldn't talk, let alone move." Katie stopped, I could tell she was about to cry again.

I couldn't believe how I had allowed Frank to completely trick me into finding Katie for him, I knew better than that. He had completely fooled me with his stuttering and sweating, and all of his talk about how much he cared about Katie. I brought my attention back to Katie, I couldn't help myself from jumping to the conclusion that I had suspected since she started her story, "Did he hurt you, Katie?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

She wiped her eyes then said, "No, no it wasn't like that. I don't really know what happened. I guess I passed out because the next thing I remember is waking up in my bed hours later. I panicked and decided to leave right away, so I got some stuff together and went downstairs to sneak out the front door. My father was never home at night, but he was waiting for me in the living room. I noticed he had changed his shirt, and he was back to his normal self. He asked me where I was going, and I tried to lie, telling him I was going over to a friend's house to work on a project. He didn't believe me, of course, and he told me I wasn't allowed to leave the house. I got angry and scared so I asked him why, but he just told me to go back to my room. I had no idea what he would do to me if I disobeyed him, so I just went back to my room. That night, he locked me in. And the next morning, he nailed windows shut. I have never been more scared in my life. I thought he was going to kill me." Katie put her hands over her face, and I put my hand on her shoulder.

"How did you escape?" I asked her, still keeping my voice even. I didn't want to completely betray my outrage at what Frank did to her.

She looked up and I nodded in encouragement. "He must not have known that my room has the passage to the attic, probably because he never goes in there. I had to wait three days for him to leave the house again, but as soon as he did I escaped through the attic and onto the roof. After that, I just ran as far as I could. I don't have any family that I know about, and I didn't want to involve my friends, so Little Havana seemed like the best option. I was there for two days. It was supposed to be a good place to disappear." She sighed again and shook her head then went back to staring at her untouched glass of water.

I frowned. Frank knew she was in Little Havana. That means he somehow tracked her there, but obviously couldn't catch her. "Your father found you, didn't he? He told me he knew you were in Little Havana, did he come after you?" I asked, trying not to sound panicked.

Katie nodded and brought her knees up to her chest. "I was just barely able to escape. He gave me this," she pulled down the collar of her t-shirt and there was a large bandage just below her collar bone. I clenched my hands into fists as she continued, "I guess I'm not very good at this whole hiding out thing. He chased me, just like you, but when he caught me he put a knife to my throat. I had pepper spray in my pocket so I used that on him, but he cut me with the knife before I got away." She stopped and looked at me, "You're lucky I dropped that pepper spray after I used it yesterday, I would have used it on you today."

Now that I knew Katie's story, I felt terrible. "You have been through a lot, Katie. I would have deserved it after chasing you like that. You must have been terrified, I'm very sorry." She nodded, accepting my apology. It still didn't help me, I still felt like a jerk.

I sat back and thought about my conversation with Frank. After a few minutes, it dawned on me. "Katie, do you have a cell phone?"

She looked up, "Yeah, why?"

"I think I know how your father found you. He said you used a pay phone to contact him, but I know that was a lie. Did you make any calls on your cell phone while you were hiding in Little Havana?" I asked.

Katie's face paled, "How could I be such an idiot? Of course he would know how to bug my cell phone, what was I thinking? I called one of my friends to let her know I was ok, but I could have been killed because of that!" Katie pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to me, and then she put her face in her hands again.

I pulled her hands away from her face, and she looked at me. "The important thing is that you weren't killed, or hurt badly Katie. You are alive now, and I am going to take care of this for you. After I'm through with him, you will never have to worry about Frank again." Katie took a deep breath and nodded then sat back in her chair.

I had no doubt that Frank had tapped Katie's phone. There is no other way he could have known where she was. I sighed in frustration. He probably did it when she was passed out at her house. I still couldn't believe my stupidity. I looked at Katie, "It's not your fault, you had no way of knowing, but this phone is totally off limits now. No more calls, ok?" Katie nodded and looked away, clearly embarrassed.

I sat back to process her story. From what she had described, it sounded like Frank was a very bad man. He was definitely capable of murder, probably of even killing his own daughter. It would be difficult for her to stay hidden from him, even with witness protection. Frank could be part of a much larger organization, maybe even a mob. If his associates found out about Katie, they would definitely all be after her. My easy job had certainly turned into a huge project.

…

_As a spy, you have to accept the fact that things don't always go your way…but when you get completely hoodwinked and taken advantage of, that's a completely different story. There is no acceptance in that harsh reality. You just get really pissed off._

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Ok people, some reviews would be nice…and maybe that would give me some motivation to update faster!


	4. Chapter 4

While I thought of ways to help her, I noticed Katie shifting around uncomfortably. She was holding her right arm to her chest. I had completely forgotten about her injuries in my eagerness to figure out the whole story. "Let me take care of that," I said.

"Thanks, it's just starting to sting pretty badly. I would have said something, but you seemed to be busy." She said, staring at the floor.

"It's no problem, sorry about that." I said, referring to being the cause of her injury with my tackle. I led her over to the kitchen sink and grabbed a washcloth. She held out her hand to do it herself, but I motioned for her arm, "I can do this. I should probably take a look at that cut too, if you don't mind." I wanted to make sure her injuries weren't more serious than I thought.

"Thanks, I was able to clean it a little bit but I didn't have many supplies. I don't think it's that deep, but I guess I've never been cut with a knife before so I wouldn't know…" She trailed off and looked at the floor again.

I grabbed my first aid kit and pulled up a stool so Katie could sit down. I checked out her elbow first and I was relieved to see that it was only a scrape and some bruising. I wet the washcloth with alcohol and gently wiped away the dried blood then I carefully placed a bandage over the whole wound. Katie held down the collar of her shirt while I gently peeled away the bandage. She was right, the cut wasn't deep enough to require stitches, but it was still pretty serious. I noticed Katie wince when I gently checked the wound.

In that moment, there was nothing I wanted to do more than make Frank pay for what he did to his daughter. I could tell Katie was a good kid. She didn't deserve to be thrown into this mess. Cleaning knife wounds and figuring out where to hide from a killer is not something a seventeen year old girl should have to worry about.

I cleaned the cut with the alcohol, then covered it with Neosporin and a fresh bandage. "We'll check that again tomorrow, but it should be ok for now." I said to reassure her.

Katie fixed her shirt then looked up at me. Being this close to her, I noticed how completely exhausted and defeated she looked. The dark circles under her sad green eyes were suddenly all I could see. The anger bubbled up inside me once again and I had to look away.

Katie cleared her throat, "Thank you…for everything. I don't know where I would be if you hadn't found me." I only trusted myself to smile and pat her shoulder. I could only keep my emotions in check for so long, and truthfully I was close to snapping.

Katie stood up and I got the bag of frozen vegetables that I use for ice out of the freezer and handed it to her for her bruised elbow. My makeshift "ice" brought a smile out of Katie, the first one I had seen since finding her. "Thanks," she said, wrapping the bag around her elbow.

I shook my head, "It's no problem, sorry about the tackle." We stood there awkwardly for a few more minutes until I finally worked out what to do. The first step was to bring in Sam and Fi. I had no doubt that bringing Frank down would be a group effort. I led Katie over to the chair once again and gave her some of Fi's leftover magazines before stepping outside to make my phone calls.

I called Sam first. He was obviously at a bar, but he didn't sound like he had more than three beers in him yet, it was my lucky day. As soon as I told him I had plenty of beer in the fridge, he was sold on coming over. Fi was a little more difficult to convince. She was about to leave to buy some very cheap assault rifles from one of her arms dealer buddies. I had to give her a quick rundown of Katie's situation before she finally reluctantly agreed to come over. After Fi hung up on me, I snapped my phone shut and sighed. This had really turned into a tough job.

I walked back into the apartment to find Katie curled up in the chair, fast asleep where I had left her. She must have been exhausted because I couldn't have been gone for more than ten minutes. I gently removed the bag of vegetables and magazine from her lap. I put the vegetables back in the freezer and slowly walked back towards her, weighing my options. She looked completely scrunched in the little chair; if she stayed like that all night she would definitely be sore in the morning. She deserved a good night's sleep in a bed, not a chair. I thought about waking her, but finally decided to move her instead. As I carefully picked her up out of the chair and carried her to my bed, Katie briefly opened her eyes and stared at me, but then she just let her head fall back on my shoulder. In that moment, I realized I had gained her trust and I couldn't help but think that what I was doing was the perfect example of getting way too emotionally involved, but as usual I couldn't help myself. I gently laid Katie down on the bed and even covered her with a blanket before stepping back outside to wait for Sam and Fi.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was sitting on the kitchen counter munching on pickles straight from the jar and just about to start his second beer, while staring at Katie, "Man, Mikey, you are in a serious pickle," he whispered, flapping a real pickle towards me and then pointing it at Katie, "You have a kid sleeping in your apartment while her psycho father is on the loose! I mean do you have any sort of plan here, man?" He stuffed the pickle into his mouth and I resisted the urge to grimace.

"Not yet, but I had to help her Sam. She was desperate. Are you going to help me with this one or not?" I responded, already knowing what his answer would be. Sam liked to play hard to get sometimes, but I always knew I could count on his help in a tough spot like this one.

"You know I will, Mikey, but this is going to be tricky. I don't even know where to begin on this one. Please tell me Fi is in on this." Sam said, making it sound like a question.

"I called her a few minutes ago, she should be here any sec – " there was a knock at the door, and I quickly ran to open it for Fi. Even though Katie had barely moved an inch since I put her in bed, I still didn't want her to wake up with all of the noise we were making.

I opened the door to a very angry looking Fi. I gave her a smile, but it didn't help, she pushed past me into the doorway and said, "Look Michael, I know this is a serious situation, but I have to earn a living too. My rent doesn't pay for itself and…" Fi trailed off as she peered into the loft and saw Katie sleeping, "What happened to her?" She asked, suddenly compassionate.

I motioned for Sam to join us outside, and he grabbed another beer from the fridge before coming out. We sat on the steps and I started to explain, "Nothing is wrong with her, Fi. Just a few bumps and bruises. She has been on the run for the past couple days so she's tired."

Fi nodded and sighed, suddenly serious. Sometimes Fi amazed me with her ability to change moods in a split second. "Well fill us in, Michael. We need all of the details."

…

It took me about ten minutes to explain Katie's whole ordeal and when I was done both Sam and Fi were staring straight ahead, deep in thought. Fi turned to me, "That bastard knows where you live, Michael. We have to get that girl out of here as soon as possible." I nodded and looked towards the door, thinking about Katie. She was safe here for the night, but Fi was absolutely right. I had to get her out of here as soon as possible.

"I think you know the place to take her, Mikey." Sam said, and took a sip of his beer.

Fi nodded in agreement, we all knew where Katie would be safest. I sighed, "I'll take her to my mom's house in the morning. For now we should just let her get some sleep. The poor kid probably hasn't slept properly in days."

Fi suddenly stood up. She paced around on the stairs for a few seconds then pointed at the door in a sharp gesture, "She's seventeen right?" I nodded cautiously, I wasn't sure if Fi was going to start crying or punch me in the face. She was in one of her moods. "This isn't right, Michael. We have to help her." I nodded again in agreement. "Do you know where that guy lives? We should just shoot him and get it over with! God knows he deserves it!" When Fi gets pissed, she's like a ball of fire. There is no calming her down, you just have to wait until she burns out.

I chose my words with care, "Fiona, that wouldn't be the best move for Katie. We don't know anything about this guy, he could be working with a larger group and then we would have a bigger, more serious problem on our hands. We should start by getting surveillance on Frank. Katie can give us the address to her house when she wakes up. He still doesn't know we are onto him, so at least we have that advantage. We just need more information before we make a move. Let's just start slow for now, ok?"

Fi huffed and sat down. "Fine, Michael. We will do this your way, but promise me one thing?" I nodded, hoping I wasn't getting myself into anything crazy, "Promise me that if anyone gets to shoot this guy, it's me." She was dead serious. Fi had never even spoken to Katie and I could tell that she was just as invested in her case as I was.

"I promise, Fi. He's all yours if it comes down to that."

We sat in silence for a few minutes until Sam stood up. "Now that you two got that cleared up, it's time for another beer. Do you want anything – " Sam was cut off by a piercing scream from inside my apartment. I have never jumped to my feet faster.

I almost tripped up the stairs in my haste to get to the door. Fi gracefully slinked past me and yanked the door open before I could get there. She dashed inside while I pulled my gun out, not knowing what to expect. Sam followed my lead and we both ran in together, guns at the ready.

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I would really appreciate some more feedback so I'm going to wait for at least 2 more reviews to post the next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

I certainly wasn't expecting what I saw. Or rather, what I didn't see. As soon as I got in the door, I did a scan of the room. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. When my gaze got to Katie, still asleep in the bed, but now thrashing, I realized what was happening. She was having a nightmare. I would recognize one anywhere, Nate was prone to nightmares as a kid. We used to share a room, so I usually ended up calming him down. But the unpleasant experience of waking someone up from a nightmare is definitely not something you get used to.

Fi was pacing by the bed, her fingers pressed to her temples. It was a clear sign that she was unsure of what to do. "She doesn't know me, Michael you have to do something!" She practically screamed at me.

"Calm down, Fi," I said putting my hands up in a reassuring gesture. I put my gun down and walked over to the bed. If we weren't calm when she woke up, Katie would probably freak out even more.

I knelt down next to Katie and put my hands on her shoulders so she would stop moving. "Katie, wake up. It's just a nightmare." I said loudly, but still trying to be gentle. I shook her shoulders a little and after a few long seconds she finally stopped moving and opened her eyes. She was breathing like she had just sprinted a mile and she stared past me, like she was still trapped in the nightmare. "It's me, Michael. You're safe here." I said, trying to bring her back to reality.

Katie suddenly shot up into a sitting position, nearly head butting me in the process. She was gasping for air and clutching her hands to her throat. "He was here…he was killing me," she choked out. I had a feeling the nightmare was about Frank. For Katie, Frank was a real life monster, out to get her. I put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her and she looked at me with wide eyes.

We made eye contact for a split second and then she unexpectedly launched herself at me. I caught her around the waist and her arms latched around my neck. Before I realized what she was doing, my first instinct was to throw her off of me, but then I came to my senses. She was _hugging_ me, not trying to kill me. Sometimes in situations of pure terror, human contact is all a person needs to come back to reality. I realized that was exactly what Katie needed.

No one has ever hugged me as hard as Katie did that night. I could feel her heart hammering in her chest against mine. I could barely breathe, but I didn't care because we were almost total strangers, yet she clung to me for dear life. At first I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do, but then returning the hug just felt right. I never considered myself a "hugger" but if this was what Katie needed I would do it. I rubbed her back in a calming motion but her grip never relaxed.

Unfortunately the hug was over almost as fast as it started. Katie's vice grip on my neck suddenly loosened and she practically shoved away from me. All she could get out was, "I think I'm gonna be…" before she leapt off the bed and dashed to the bathroom.

I got up to follow after her, but Fi put her hand on my chest. "I'll go, Michael." Before I could protest, Fi followed in after her and shut the door.

I stared at the closed door for a couple minutes, processing what just happened. As soon as I found my voice, I said softly, "How about that beer, Sam?" I was trying to diffuse the tense situation.

Sam sighed, "I know this will come as a shocker, Mikey. But I don't much feel like drinking anymore." He walked over to the kitchen and sat on the counter. We could hear Katie's vomiting turn to dry heaves from the bathroom. I felt like hitting something…like Frank. I settled for my punching bag. The ache that immediately blossomed in my knuckles was an immediate distraction from what I knew Katie was going through in the bathroom.

Sam put his hand on my shoulder, "Easy there Mike, we're going to figure this out." He shook his head, "Poor kid. Too bad Fi gets the honor of shooting that son of a bitch father of hers. I would have liked to do it myself after tonight."

I could only nod in agreement because I couldn't flat out lie to Sam. Even though I had promised Fi she could kill Frank, I was willing to bet that no one wanted him dead more than me. If Frank was here right now, I would kill him with my bare hands if I had to. Although I didn't like to admit it, I had a connection with Katie. I don't know when it happened, maybe when I looked into her eyes for the first time in Little Havana, or maybe when she just hugged me like her life depended on it. But I needed to protect her, and I would do anything to ensure her safety. At this point, I was beginning to realize that Katie was destined to be more than just another client in my life. And truth be told, that made me extremely nervous.

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Ok, once again thanks for reading! I'm going to wait for a few reviews to update again, I really appreciated the feedback on the last chapter. Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

After about ten minutes, I heard the shower go on in the bathroom. Fi came out and Sam and I both looked at her expectantly. She sighed, "Everything is fine. It was just a rough nightmare. Michael, can you get some clean clothes together? I thought a shower would help her relax. Quite frankly, I can't believe you didn't offer her one earlier." She looked at me pointedly. Fi had her own special way of making me feel like a dumb ass…this time a very inconsiderate dumb ass.

I jumped at the opportunity to finally do something useful. I couldn't stand just sitting on the sidelines waiting. I wasn't used to not being in control of the situation, and this whole day had been a series of events completely out of my control. I grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Both would be huge on Katie, but maybe Fi could bring her something more suitable in the morning. I handed Fi the clothes and she put them in the bathroom. I returned to my spot in the kitchen by Sam, and reached into the open pickle container but came up empty handed. Sam. I shot him a dirty look which he pretended to ignore, but then Fi came out of the bathroom again.

Fi walked back towards us slowly. "Michael," she said in that tone she only uses with me.

Sensing danger, Sam immediately stood up and stretched. "I think it's time for some fresh air," he said while walking out to the balcony. I wished I could follow him.

"Uh, yeah Fi?" I asked.

Fi hopped up onto the counter in front of me. "I think you already know this, but I'm going to say it anyways. Katie trusts you. We all saw what happened back there. This is different than all of your other clients, Michael. She really needs you. So I need you to promise me that you won't do anything to jeopardize her trust. This girl has had no father to count on for her entire life, and I think she just beginning to look at you that way –"

I cut her off before she could continue, "Fi, please. I can't deal with this right –"

Fi hopped off the counter, stepped right up to me, and covered my mouth with her hand. "I wasn't finished, Michael." My stomach dropped at her words. If I wasn't careful I would end up getting the shit kicked out of me. I nodded and she continued, "Now I know you avoid getting too involved with clients, but this is different. I see it in Katie's face. She needs you. So don't give me that crap about needing to distance yourself from her so you won't hurt her. We have been there before. Promise me that you won't just throw this girl back into the real world after you solve this problem. She needs someone that will care about her for once in her life." She looked at me expectantly.

Here we go with the promises again. What did Fi expect me to do? Sure, Katie trusted me and I felt a strange urge to protect her, but that didn't make me her "father figure" did it? We just met! That fact aside, I knew Katie was more to me than just another client, but could I really provide that for her? I didn't know. I didn't have an answer for Fi because I couldn't make this decision right now. I looked up at Fi and she looked impatient. "Fi, I don't want to hurt her. I can't wreck her life more than it already has been. I just can't." It hurt me to say those last few words, but it was true. People in my life that I care about usually end up getting hurt by my lifestyle. Fi. My mom. Nate. Even Sam. Did she really want Katie to be next on that list? I know I didn't.

Fi huffed, and I almost expected her to slap me. She was so passionate about Katie's situation. I felt like she had something in her head that she wanted me to say, but I just couldn't do it for her. If I had to distance myself from Katie to protect her, I would, regardless of what Fi wanted me to do. Fi took a deep breath and stepped even closer to me. At this point our chests were just about touching and I had to resist the urge to step back. Fi could really be intimidating when she wanted to get her way. "Michael –" she started.

Sam cleared his throat loudly from behind us and we both turned to stare at him. He looked pointedly towards the bathroom. Fi took a step away from me and I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding. I knew our conversation was postponed, but far from over. We both turned around. Katie was just exiting the bathroom. My shirt and shorts just about swallowed her, but it was better than her dirty clothes from before. I could see her cheeks turn red all the way from across the room. She was embarrassed with all of us staring at her. "Hey kiddo, feeling better?" Sam asked to break the ice.

Katie looked at Sam questioningly. "Uh, much better, thanks." She said, shooting me a quick glance. I completely forgot she still had no idea who Sam was.

I looked at Fi and she was giving me the inconsiderate dumb ass look again. I said, "Katie this is my friend Sam. He's going to help me solve your problem. You already met Fi, but she's also helping." I hated that I couldn't even look at Katie without the words "father figure" passing through my mind. I had Fi to thank for that.

Fi stepped towards Katie to bridge the awkward distance between her and us. "You probably want to go back to sleep?" Fi asked.

Katie turned red again. "Uh, I'm not tired anymore." I could tell she was lying, but I wasn't about to call her out on it. She looked at me, "I'm sorry about that false alarm. I probably freaked you out a little, huh?" Fi patted Katie's shoulder and looked at me expectantly.

I put up my hands in a reassuring gesture. "No problem, it happens. Better a false alarm than a real one." Fi shook her head at me behind Katie's back. What did I say? "Um do you need anything?" I added at Fi's death stare.

"I think I'm just going to get a glass of water." I was still in the kitchen so she walked towards me. She picked up her old glass then hesitated and looked up at me hesitantly. "I'm pretty hungry…"

I jumped up. "Of course, I'm sorry I didn't ask you if you wanted something to eat earlier. I have yogurt, there's some bread, and I think I might have some peanut butter and jelly if you want that?"

She smiled. "Yogurt sounds great." Fi beamed at me at Katie's food choice and I pretended to ignore her.

Katie turned around to get her glass of water and I went to the refrigerator for the yogurt. I turned to ask Katie what flavor she wanted, and then several things happened at once. I heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot closely followed by the shattering of Katie's glass in her hand, then her piercing scream. I instinctively turned to figure out the source of the gunshot when I heard another shot. The bullet was so close to hitting me that it grazed my left shoulder. The force of the bullet sent me spinning sideways into the counter and the pain in my shoulder brought me out of the shock of the situation like a bucket of ice water thrown over my head. The two shots had been fired off within a span of a few seconds, and I knew there would be more.

I acted quickly. Katie was only a few feet away from my position by the counter so I quickly stepped towards her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and brought her to the ground, shielding her with my body throughout the whole process.

"Son of a bitch!" I heard Sam yell. I heard more gunshots, but I could tell they were coming from inside the loft rather than the attacker. Sam and Fi must have been fighting back.

Katie was shaking like a leaf under me. I looked at her and she had her eyes squeezed shut, with tears streaming down her face. I pressed her face to my chest and whispered, "It's ok, we're going to be fine. Just stay with me, you're going to be fine." I kept talking to Katie, attempting to keep her calm, while more shots rang out around us. I heard her muffled sobs through my shirt, and I hugged her even tighter to my chest. Even though the situation was entirely inappropriate for this to come up in my mind, I could help but think "father figure" once again while I shielded Katie with my body against the chaos happening around us.

* * *

Sorry about the cliffhanger…thoughts? Criticisms? I love feedback!


	8. Chapter 8

After about ten seconds it was quiet again. I looked up and Sam and Fi were both positioned by my shattered window, guns at the ready. Fi turned towards me after a minute and said, "It was a guy with a sniper rifle. He got about five shots off but we scared him away. I think Sam hit him in the leg. He left pretty quickly. Are you two ok? You were hit, Michael." She looked at me with concern as I sat up, bringing Katie with me. I sat next to her but kept my arm around her shoulders since she was still shaking.

"I'm ok. It was just a graze, Fi. Is everyone else ok?" I asked.

Sam put his gun in the waistband of his pants, "I'm good, Mikey. Man, what the hell was that?"

I took a deep breath. I had a feeling I knew what that was about. "What did the guy look like?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

Sam looked at Fi and said, "It was a white guy, probably mid forties, balding a little I guess. Sound familiar?" I think he already knew the answer.

I stood up, and pulled Katie with me. She immediately leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, like she was physically holding herself together. I glanced at her, but she looked close to totally losing it. I didn't want to deal with another breakdown, but I had to say what I was thinking. "It had to be Frank. That description sounds like him. Damn it! He must have been watching the loft. We should have moved sooner. I thought –"

Fi's shrill voice interrupted my rant, "Michael!" She pointed at my stomach and rushed towards me. I looked down and was totally shocked to see blood smeared all over my side. This was strange. I had never been shot and not felt it at all. Even the graze wound on my shoulder still burned like hell, there was no way I got shot in the stomach and didn't even feel it.

Fi got to me and she pulled my shirt up to find the source of the blood before I could do it myself. She looked at me in shock when we both saw that the skin on my side was totally unharmed. "What the hell?" She asked.

"Beats me –" It suddenly dawned on me. Katie. I was lying on top of her to protect her, and she must have been injured but didn't say anything. I looked at her and she stared back at me, white as a ghost. "Katie, where are you hurt?" I asked, panicked. Fi tentatively put her hand on Katie's shoulder.

She wordlessly let her arms fall to her sides. There was blood covering the front of the white t-shirt she was wearing. "It was the glass," she said quietly as tears spilled over her cheeks. "It shattered in my hand." She held out her left hand to me. I closed my eyes in relief. Thank god she hadn't been shot. I never would have been able to forgive myself. This was really turning into one of the worst nights of my life, and that was really saying something.

Right on cue, we all heard the police sirens rushing towards the loft. "I'll go take care of our cop problem, Mike." Sam said, then walked over to Katie and patted her shoulder. "Hang in there, kiddo. It's gonna be alright."

Fi sighed and turned to me, "I'll get some towels."

"Come over here," I said, guiding Katie to the stool she had sat in earlier. Once she was situated I said, "Let me take a look at your hand." I hated that I was once again helping Katie with injuries that Frank had caused, especially after I had promised her that he wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore.

Katie held her left hand out to me and I gently examined it. There were shallow cuts all over her hand and wrist from the glass, but she had two deep gashes that were the source of all the blood. One was on her wrist and the other across her palm. They would both need stitches. The blood I felt dripping down my arm told me I would also need stitches, but that would have to wait. Frank knew where I lived, and he knew I had Katie. We had to leave as soon as possible.

As I looked at her hand, Katie spoke so softly that I could barely understand, "He shot at me…my _dad_ could have killed me without giving it a second thought." I looked at her and she shook her head.

Looking into her eyes made me feel every ounce of fear, doubt, and anger that Katie was feeling. I was speechless and before I could gather my thoughts to make a coherent reply, my phone rang, causing Katie to nearly jump out of her seat. The number was unfamiliar, but I had a feeling I knew exactly who was calling. I grabbed a dish towel and turned to Katie, "Apply pressure to your wrist, I have to take this but I will be right back." I gave her a sympathetic look and handed her the towel.

"Hello?" I answered the phone as I made my way outside so Katie didn't have to listen to whatever Frank had to say.

His voice came through the phone in a shout, "I need her back, you son of a bitch! I told you to find her, not take her from me!"

I sighed and eased myself down onto the stairs outside the loft. "I thought you would say that, but I don't think so, Frank. You see, I don't take kindly to being lied to. And it seems like your pathetic story doesn't match what your daughter had to tell me. So no, I don't think you will be getting her back. And Frank, she doesn't belong to you."

"Don't play games with me, Westen. She's my kid. If I want to get her back, I will."

I was suddenly seeing red. Frank was really starting to piss me off with his possessiveness over Katie. "You know what, Frank? I want to see you try to get her back because I would love to have a good reason to shoot you dead."

Frank laughed, and I resisted the urge to punch the wall beside me. "You get pretty attached to people, Westen. You see, I don't have that problem because it's a weakness. You got lots of people in your life that I could hurt. Your pretty little girlfriend, that fat guy who shot me…your mother –"

I cut him off there, "Frank, if you even think about touching any of them, I swear I will ki –"

He cut me off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I already know you want to kill me. Listen, if you don't want me to start killing off the people you love, bring Katie back to my house by noon today. This conversation is over." And that was it. Frank sure knew how to cut someone off. All of the sudden I had the distinct feeling that we were running out of time. Katie was running out of time, and I was starting to panic.

…

After Frank's phone call I had to act fast. It was already close to dawn so we didn't have a ton of time to put together a plan for meeting Frank. I had an idea forming in the back of my mind, but there were still missing parts. First, I had to fill in Sam and Fi. I wished I could spare Katie, but she had a right to know what was going on. And if we were going to think of a successful plan, Katie would have to be involved in some way. As I walked back into the loft, Sam, Fi, and Katie looked up at me expectantly.

"What did he say?" Katie asked, breaking the silence. She was still white as a ghost, so I got her a fresh glass of water before I responded.

"He gave me an ultimatum. I either have to return you to him, or he claims he will kill off everyone I know." Everyone sat and processed what I said for a few seconds.

Katie set down her glass of water and shook her head. "Michael, I can't have you putting the people you love at risk just by helping me. I can go back to him. I think he needs me for something, maybe a cover for his hit man life, so I'll be fine until I can leave – "

I cut her off there, "Don't be ridiculous Katie. You know what Frank is capable of. He already has hurt you and he will do it again. I promised you that he would never hurt you again, and I already fell back on that promise just now when you got your hand split open. I won't let it happen again. So no, you aren't going back to him."

Katie stared back at me then nodded reluctantly. "Fine," was all she said before she went back to staring at her glass of water.

Fiona patted Katie on the back and looked up at me. "Do you have a plan here, Michael?" She asked expectantly.

Sam added, "I'm game for anything here, Mikey. Let's bring this guy down."

I had an idea, but I needed Katie to help me out for it to work. First, she needed to give me some more information. "Katie, Frank wants to meet at his house so I need directions. But more importantly, how exactly do I get up to the attic?"

Katie looked at me bewildered for a minute, then her face lit up as she realized what I was thinking. "Of course! If you go into the house through the attic, you can get in through my room without him knowing!" Then her face fell, "Wait…he might have figured out that my room has that passage to the attic." She frowned then added, "I tried to cover my tracks when I escaped so there's a possibility that he doesn't know. It would be a big risk."

Fiona gave me a dirty look when she realized what I was thinking. I pretended like I didn't notice, as usual. Sam looked at all three of us with confusion clearly written on his face. "Uh, Mike do you want to fill me in on this plan of yours? I'm not a mind reader, you know."

I was about to talk, but Fi beat me to it. "Sam, Michael here would like to sneak into Frank's house through the attic. Frank will be expecting him to walk through the front door, so he will surprise him from behind. _But_, Frank might already be prepared for that and Michael could end up dead in the end." She looked at me and added, "Am I missing any other aspects of your master plan, Michael?" I felt like I had been verbally slapped.

Sam grimaced, "I don't know about that, Mikey. It sounds too risky."

I looked at Katie before I answered. I could see the bandage on her neck poking through her shirt, as well as the bandage on her elbow from the injury I had caused. Her hand was also covered in the same towel I had given to her before. She was an absolute mess. How could I not take the risk to try and get rid of Frank once and for all? I had to do it, there was no other option. I turned to Sam and Fi and said what I was thinking, "I have to take this risk. I realize that it's dangerous, but it's all we've got." Fi looked like she was about to start yelling at me so I put up my hand and said, "Fi, please not now. Just hear me out. When I get into the house, I can force Frank to tell me who his boss is. If we can get someone else involved, maybe they can make Frank leave Katie alone. He's drawing a lot of unwanted attention to himself by doing this. I can make this a much bigger problem for his organization, trust me. That's all I have. We're running out of time here."

Sam took a deep breath. "Ok, Mike. It seems slightly suicidal, but this could work. Hopefully we can find a place that I can set up outside the house with a sniper rifle to give you some sort of cover. Maybe Fi can wire some stuff to blow just in case you need a quick distraction to get out of there."

I nodded in agreement. I would definitely need some sort of back up. I turned to Katie again. "Katie, I'm gonna need some help drawing up plans of the neighborhood so we can plan some tactical stuff, but first I'll fix your hand." She just nodded while still staring at her water. I could tell she wasn't happy with the plan, but I had to do what needed to be done. I sighed and added, "Hey Fi, can you – " I stopped when I looked up and realized Fiona had already walked away, clearly disgusted with me. After the way Fiona and Katie had reacted to my plan, I suddenly felt like the bad guy.

Sorry for the huge delay. I had to work out some plot issues with this story, but I'm back on track now so I will be updating regularly. Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

"Ok, so I go through the alley and hop the fence into the backyard, then get on top of the garage, then I can climb up to the attic? And there's a vent that I take off to get in?" I was running through the plan for about the tenth time with Katie while Sam and Fi were out scouting Frank's neighborhood. Katie was clearly getting frustrated with me.

"Yes!" Katie snapped back, pointing at the detailed drawing she had made me of her house. "Remember you have to be careful when you get in the attic because there's no floor; just boards and insulation. If you fall through the ceiling, things will definitely end badly."

"Of course, and once more, there is only one way out of that attic and that's through your room, correct?" I asked.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Yes. And for the last time, all you have to do is lift the board up and you can drop right into the closet in my room. Got it?"

I put my hands up. "Calm down, I'm just being thorough."

Katie sighed. "I know, Michael. I'm sorry but I'm just not entirely comfortable with the plan, as you know. I wish you would just listen to my dad and hand me –"

I stopped her there. "That's not up for discussion, Katie."

"Well I wish it was!" She fired right back. Katie glared at me for a few seconds then took a deep breath and said, "I need some air. I'll be right outside."

"Don't go through the front door, just use the balcony." I said, trying not to sound agitated. Katie just waved her hand at me as she walked outside. I sighed. First Fiona was pissed at me, and now Katie. Was anyone actually on my side today?

…

Sam and Fi walked through the door about an hour later. It was hard to believe it was still only ten o'clock in the morning. We had been up all night and the day was just beginning. After Katie had calmed down, she helped me by describing the house some more. She had only just fallen asleep again after I forced her to lie down. She looked absolutely dead on her feet after the excitement of the night before. Fortunately, with Katie's help, I was finally starting to feel confident about my plan. If everything fell into place, it could go off without a hitch.

Sam immediately went to the fridge for a beer before he said, "Well, Mike we watched that house for a good couple of hours and Frank didn't even leave once. We caught a glimpse of him through the window and he looked pretty immobile. Getting shot in the leg does that." He added with a laugh.

Fi handed me a detonator. Her face was unreadable, she was clearly not as amused by the situation as Sam. "I wired a few things to blow," I narrowed my eyes at her and she quickly added, "nothing too destructive…I promise. Should you need a diversion, this should work." She looked at me seriously, "Michael, we did our part for this plan of yours. Now you better prove me wrong and make it work, ok?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "I will, Fi." I turned to Sam and said, "Ready?"

Sam downed the rest of his beer and said, "Let's go get this guy, Mike." I took one last look at Katie and Fiona before we left. With any luck, by the time Sam and I got back Katie would be free of her terrorizing father. And I would be back in Fiona's good graces.

…

"Here's your stop, Mikey." Sam said as he pulled into the alley behind Frank's house. "I'll park here, then go around to the front of the house. There's a nice spot where I can watch with Frank in my sights the whole time."

"Sounds good, Sam. I'm going to call you from my phone. Keep the line open so you can hear if something goes wrong." I said as I put in my Bluetooth earpiece.

"I know the drill, Mike. I'll see you on the other side, alright?" Sam said with a smile.

"Right," I said as we both got out of the car. "Here we go." Sam nodded and we went our separate ways. Since it was the middle of the day, I couldn't dress in all black. If anyone saw me walking around I would look like a criminal. Instead I had to go with a t-shirt and jeans, not my outfit of choice for the job. Fortunately, I was still able to carry my weapons of choice; two guns and a small knife. But hopefully I wouldn't need them all.

As Katie and I had discussed, my first move was hopping over the small chain link fence that marked Frank's yard. After that, I swiftly made my way to the garage and hoisted myself up onto the roof. It wasn't extremely difficult for me, but I couldn't imagine Katie walking on top of the house and jumping off the garage during her escape. She was lucky she didn't end up with any broken bones. I carefully crept across the garage and once again hoisted myself up onto the tallest part of the roof. Just as Katie had described, there was a vent that clearly led to the attic. After I took off the vent, I was able to squeeze through the small opening, and I was in.

The attic was very cramped and I had to carefully crawl across the planks to make it safely to the opening that led into Katie's room. Before I lifted the board, I took a deep breath. This was it. Everything had gone off without a hitch so far. I had been able to traverse the roof undetected and crawl across the attic without crashing through the ceiling. This next part was crucial. If Frank knew about the attic, I could be in for a deadly surprise on the other end. I steeled myself and gently lifted the board. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in when the board came away to reveal the inside of Katie's closet. I lowered myself in and pulled out my gun as soon as my feet hit the floor.

I slowly stepped out of the closet into Katie's room, and the entire space was a complete disaster. There were clothes everywhere, the furniture was overturned, and broken glass from lamps and picture frames littered the floor. Frank must have trashed the place in anger after he realized Katie escaped. All of the debris on the floor made exiting the room feel like walking through a mine field. I had to step carefully or else I would make enough noise to alert Frank of my presence. I took another deep breath when I made it out of Katie's room, and then I turned left towards the stairs, just as Katie had drawn. When I made it down the stairs, and crept towards the front of the house, I got my first glimpse of Frank. He was staring out the window that faced the street with his gun in hand. I had to act quickly if I didn't want to get shot.

I made it across the room in four quick steps and I put my gun up to the back of Frank's head before he could even raise his weapon. "Drop it." I said.

Frank laughed, "I guess I underestimated you, Westen. How did you get in?" He asked.

I pressed my gun harder into his head. "I said drop it." I wasn't going to let Frank distract me. I watched his gun thunk to the ground and I picked it up, still keeping my own gun trained on Frank. I steered Frank over to the couch so we weren't so visible from the street, and then I took a plastic zip tie out of my pocket and tossed it to him. "You know what to do." I said, then watched him fasten his hands together.

Frank looked up at me. "Satisfied? Now how did you get in?"

"The same way Katie got out." I said shortly. Frank didn't laugh at that. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and held it up. "Now you're going to call your boss."

Frank's confidence melted away as soon as I said that. "You don't want to call him. He'll just kill everyone if there's a problem. That's how he operates." Frank said.

"So it's just one guy then?" I asked.

Frank huffed, clearly frustrated with how his plan to get Katie back turned out. "As far as I know it's just one guy. He calls me and tells me who to kill and I do it. That's all I know."

"Well do you have a number for this guy? Maybe an address where you send Christmas cards every year?" Frank glared at me. "Either you tell me or I kill you and walk right out of here without looking back." I threatened.

"His name is Larry and I have a phone number. That's it, I swear." Frank was almost pleading with me. He must have hated being on the other end of the gun for a change.

I tossed my cell phone at him. "Call him." Frank looked genuinely scared as he dialed a phone number and handed the phone back. I kept my gun trained on him as I waited for an answer.

The man who answered on the other end completely shocked me by saying, "Am I finally talking to the famous Michael Westen?" The voice was eerily familiar.

"Who's this?" I asked, already guessing the answer.

"Come on, kid. You're sharper than that. How many guys named Larry do you know in the hit man business? It's me, your old pal!" My suspicions were confirmed. It was my old partner and hit man extraordinaire Larry Sizemore.

I tried not to sound totally surprised. "How did you know it was me, Larry?" I asked.

"Oh, I've been watching this situation very closely ever since Frank stopped answering my calls a week ago. I almost wanted to step in when that idiot went and hired you to do his dirty work, but I wanted to see the famous Michael Westen in action! Trust me, it was worth it, but my guy Frank has been a bad boy! Chasing that daughter of his all over Miami then shooting up your place last night. No, that won't do. I'm afraid he has to go. And his daughter, Katie I believe –"

"Katie doesn't know anything about you Larry. All she knows is her dad is a killer. Just leave her out of this." I cut in.

I heard Larry laughing on the other end. "Oh no, I think someone has gotten too emotionally involved. That's no good in this business and you know it, kid. Maybe I should kill her just to teach you a lesson…" He said, taunting me.

I fought back, "You would have to kill me first, Larry."

Larry stopped laughing on the other end when he realized I was dead serious. "Oh relax, kid. No one is going to die…well no one except Frank." He laughed then added, "I'm right outside the house, I've had enough of this so I'm going to come in. Make sure Sam Axe doesn't shoot me." Wow, Larry wasn't kidding when he said he was watching the situation. He had been here the whole time and we hadn't noticed. I almost wanted to let Sam shoot Larry, but I looked out the window and waved him off. Frank was Larry's problem and I was going to make him end it.

I opened the door and Larry quickly stepped inside. I still held my gun, just in case and Larry shook his head. "Come on, kid. You don't trust your old partner?" I wasn't about to put my gun down with Larry in the room. "Fine, suit yourself. I'm not here for you anyways. I have a new deadee." Larry looked at Frank and I thought Frank might piss his pants.

As Larry walked over to Frank, I quickly said, "This ends here, Larry. You don't come after Katie, right?" I had to make sure she was safe.

Larry looked back at me and smiled. "She's all yours, kid." As I opened the door to leave, Larry added, "But hey, you never know when I'll come asking for a favor from you, Westen. Be ready for that day."

"We'll see about that." I said as I closed the door. I didn't think I owed Larry anything, but obviously he felt entitled.

Sam was waiting for me on the curb. "That wasn't _the_ Larry Sizemore, was it?" He asked.

"The world is a small place, Sam. Frank was working for Larry." I answered. "Where did Fi set the explosives? I don't want one of the neighbors finding a nasty surprise."

Sam huffed and pointed at a bird bath and the mail box in front of the house. It was clear that he didn't want to let the Larry situation go, "Come on, Mike! I had a shot to kill Larry Sizemore and you waved me off? What's with that?" He complained.

"Frank was Larry's mess." I said as I disarmed Fi's explosives. "Whatever he does with him is out of our hands." I answered, and then added, "As much as I would have liked to kill both of them, I didn't want their blood on my hands."

Sam stopped pouting at my words and patted me on the back. "I hear you, brother. I guess you're right, I just really hate Larry and free shots like that aren't easy to come by." We started to walk around the house back to the car.

"I know, Sam me too. He said he might come back for a favor from me. I hope he doesn't, but if he does I'll let you handle it, how about that?" I asked, grinning at Sam.

He laughed, "No problem there, Mikey." As we got in the car, we both pretended not to hear the gunshots coming from inside Frank's house. It looked like Frank would never be a problem for Katie again.


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue

Frank's body was found two weeks later in the everglades. Katie wasn't upset about Frank's death, she was more upset about feeling alone in the world. Frank was her only family, even though he was a terrible father. I gave her some time alone, but in the end, I stepped up and took my role as "father figure" seriously. Fi couldn't have been happier with me, but to me it just felt right. Katie quickly became more than just a client, she was like my daughter.

Katie lived with me for the next two years while she finished high school. She wouldn't have it any other way. During that time Sam, Fi, and I taught her everything we knew. Katie learned how to bug cell phones, make a bomb (traditional IRA style thanks to Fi), shoot a gun, and everything else in between. She insisted on learning how to handle herself in the real world. She would never again allow herself to be hurt and taken advantage of by someone like Frank.

During that time, I gradually let my burn notice go. I found that I didn't need my old job back to be happy again. The quest that had lasted over two years of my life was over once and for all. I found what I was looking for, and I realized that wasn't my old job. I found a family.

Katie graduated with honors, and then we put her through college. She went to the University of Miami and majored in psychology. She wanted to help kids like her who had a troubled past. We of course had to take on extra clients, but none of us minded because it was for Katie.

I walked her down the aisle when she was 24. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. Her husband Kevin is a great guy. I know he is because I had Sam do a background check. After all, you can never be too careful.

Looking back on my time with Katie, I feel like it was fate that she came into my life. Before I tackled her to the ground in Little Havana, my burn notice was consuming my life. In my heart, I know that if I continued down that path, I would have lost everything. Katie was like gravity. She came at the exact moment in my life when I needed to be pulled back to earth, and I would be forever grateful to her for that.

End.


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